Images show the incredible transformation of a woman who put the symptoms of her liver failure down to 'turning 30' after she underwent a life-saving transplant.

Christina Ferrara, now 31, from Tampa, Florida, was told she would 'die this weekend' after doctors discovered her liver was rapidly shutting down.

The assistant manager had dismissed her symptoms as simply a sign of her 'getting older' when she was unable to recall the year or the name of the President.

After eventually seeking treatment when she started to turn yellow, Ms Ferrara was put into a medically induced coma and placed number one on the worldwide liver transplant list.

Ms Ferrara has since made a miraculous recovery after the fourth organ she was offered turned out to be a perfect match.

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Christina Ferrara dismissed her deadly liver failure as tiredness due to her turning 30. She is pictured after receiving a life-saving liver transplant with the operation's scar on her abdomen

When she eventually went to see her doctor, she was immediately rushed to hospital. Medics discovered her dangerously high ammonia levels were shutting down her brain, forcing them to put her in a medically induced coma (pictured). Her liver was also rapidly releasing toxins

As well as suffering from extreme fatigue, Ms Ferrara began to experience bleeding gums, which she put down to her toothbrush. She also dismissed her dark urine as just dehydration.

'I thought it was just a cruel welcoming to my 30s. But I was very jaundiced and suffering high enzyme levels,' she said.

'Eventually I went yellow from head-to-toe.

'It was like someone took a highlighter and coloured me in, I was so tired I was trying to drink as much coffee as possible.'

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When Ms Ferrara eventually went to see her doctor, she was immediately rushed to hospital, where medics told her she may die before the end of the weekend.

'All of the extreme symptoms I was told to watch out for happened within 16 hours, it was the most rapid case doctors had seen,' she said.

'They would asked me questions like where I was and who was the President. I got them all wrong. I even thought it was 1997. All I knew was that I was scared.'

Now nearly recovered, Ms Ferrara is forced to take medication every day to stop her body rejecting her new liver. The ordeal has also left her at a high risk of skin cancer and means she has had to adapt her diet. Nevertheless, the assistant manager is determined to stay upbeat

While in a coma (pictured) Ms Ferrara was placed top of the worldwide liver waiting list

While in hospital, loved ones would come to visit, however, they were forced to wear masks to prevent her becoming more unwell. Ms Ferrara's immune system would have been suppressed due to the medication she was taking to stop her body rejecting her new liver

While in hospital, medics discovered Ms Ferrara's ammonia levels were so high her brain was shutting down.

Toxins were also being rapidly released from her leaking liver, putting her in urgent need of a transplant. It is unclear what caused her liver failure, however, it is linked to excessive alcohol consumption, and hepatitis B and C.

'I was number one on the Florida transplant list and 12 hours later took over the top of the world list - I was deemed the sickest woman in America,' she said.

'There were three livers I couldn't accept - one was too big, one too sick and the other too old - but on the fourth day I had a perfect liver presented to me.

'It was literally a miracle, as soon as I put it in it was like the batteries were back on.'

Ms Ferrara is speaking out to encourage others to join the organ donor list and help save people's lives. She said: 'If my donor did not choose to donate their organs I would not be here right now. You can't take your organs when you go, so save a life and spread love'

Pictured dancing with her father after the ordeal, Ms Ferrara wants to make the most of her life

WHAT IS LIVER FAILURE?

Liver failure occurs when large parts of the organ become damaged beyond repair to the point it can no longer function.

This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention.

In most cases, liver failure occurs gradually over many years.

However, acute liver failure can take place within just two days.

The most common causes of gradual liver failure are:

Hepatitis B or C

Long term alcohol consumption

Scarring of the liver

Hemochromatosis - an inherited disorder that causes the body to absorb and store too much iron

Malnutrition

In acute cases, causes can include overdosing on paracetamol, reacting to medication or eating poisonous wild mushrooms.

Early symptoms are often vague and can include nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue and diarrhoea.

As the condition progresses, patients may suffer jaundice, bleeding easily, abdominal swelling, confusion and fatigue, and can even fall into a coma.

If spotted early enough, acute cases can be treated by targeting the underlying cause, for example a paracetamol overdose.